Posted 3 months ago
Program Chief Engineer
@ Kepler Communications
Toronto, Ontario
Overview
Kepler Communications is hiring a Program Chief Engineer, the senior technical authority for a spacecraft program, reporting to the Senior Director of Satellite Systems. The role leads engineering across all disciplines to deliver flight-ready spacecraft and mission success. The posting requires a hybrid arrangement with on-site presence at the Toronto HQ.
Responsibilities:
- Provide technical leadership across all spacecraft engineering disciplines
- Lead design, anomaly and readiness reviews
- Make evidence-based technical decisions balancing risk and schedule
- Represent Engineering with customers, suppliers and executives
- Mentor senior engineers and raise engineering standards
Requirements summary:
- Relevant bachelor's or master's engineering degree
- 15+ years developing complex spacecraft or aerospace systems
- Technical authority for at least one spacecraft program
- Extensive knowledge of integration, verification, manufacturing and operations
- Strong technical judgment, communication and leadership
Tools & skills
Benefits mentioned
Source and dates
Employer career site / ATS feed · lever
- Employer posting date
- 2026-08-14
- First seen by our source
- 2026-10-08
- Source record updated
- 2026-10-09
These dates describe the source record, not a live verification that the employer is still hiring. Check the original posting.
Job details
| Seniority | Lead |
| Department | Engineering |
| Experience | 15+ years |
| Manages people | Yes |
| Hours per week | 40 (estimated) |
| Work setting | Office, Laboratory |
| Position | Sitting and standing |
| Physical demands | physical low · computer high |
| Languages | English |
| Encouraged to apply | Indigenous peoples, People with disabilities, Women, Racialized people, 2SLGBTQ+ |
| Education | Bachelor’s degree (required), Master’s degree (preferred) |
| Fields of study | Engineering |
| Perks mentioned | Generous paid time off, Generous parental leave, Relocation assistance |
Summary and details written by AI from the posting; the employer’s posting is the authority.
Kepler Communications
Saved company profile
Historical company information from a saved The Jobs API profile (LinkedIn/Crunchbase fields). It is not live-verified; figures may have changed. Missing values remain unknown.
Building the Internet for Space
Full company description
We are delivering on-orbit data at lightspeed with a constellation of satellites designed to act as Internet exchange points for space-to-space data relay. Headquartered in downtown Toronto, Kepler is vertically integrated with an in-house production facility, designing and deploying a hybrid optical constellation to modernize communications to missions in LEO and beyond.
- LinkedIn followers
- 36,069
- People associated on LinkedIn
- 209
- Reported office locations
- 24 Ward St, Toronto, Ontario M6H 4A6, CA
- Business categories
- Satellite Communication
- Telecommunications
- Other recorded names
- Kepler Communications Inc
- Kepler Communications
- Kepler Communications Inc.
- Profile identifies a recruitment agency
- No
- Reported total investment
- 177,060,177
Currency and observation date were not supplied; this is not a current valuation or a funding round.
We are delivering on-orbit data at lightspeed with a constellation of satellites designed to act as Internet exchange points for space-to-space data relay. Headquartered in downtown Toronto, Kepler is vertically integrated with an in-house production facility, designing and deploying a hybrid optical constellation to modernize communications to missions in LEO and beyond.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Company size | 51-200 employees |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
| Organization type | Privately Held |
| Year founded | 2015 |
| Open jobs on Jobsy | 20 |
| View page |
At Kepler Communications, we're not just imagining the future of on-demand space connectivity - we're leading it!
Our mission is to provide real-time on-orbit connectivity for critical missions, enabling a new era of data-driven intelligence and innovation. With 33 satellites launched to date, Kepler operates the first commercial optical data relay constellation, enabling real-time, continuous space communications while supporting advanced on-orbit compute and hosted payload capabilities.
Industry-leading technology is only part of the story. What sets Kepler apart is our team: bold thinkers, skilled builders, and passionate problem-solvers who thrive on pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space. We believe great ideas come from diverse perspectives, and we’re committed to creating an environment where you can grow, lead, and make a global impact.
If you’re ready to reach higher, move faster, and do work that shapes the future space economy - this is your launchpad. Come build the future with Kepler!
What We Offer:
* Competitive compensation with a robust equity plan to share in our success.
* Comprehensive coverage for health, dental, and vision insurance—including dependents.
* Unlimited vacation, supportive parental leave policy, and company-wide holiday shutdown.
* Semi-annual company-wide parties and frequent in-office team events.
* Relocation packages available for approved roles.
* $1,500 annual professional development fund to support your growth.
* Fully stocked Toronto office kitchen with snacks, drinks, games and top-notch kitchen appliances.
* Town Halls, Celebration Calls, and Company-wide events to stay connected and engaged.
* We’re a certified Great Place to Work®, seven years in a row!
As the Program Chief Engineer, you are the senior technical authority for the spacecraft program and the single point of technical accountability for mission success. Reporting directly to the Senior Director of Satellite Systems, you provide technical leadership across all engineering disciplines to ensure the spacecraft is designed, built, verified, and operated as an integrated system. You establish the technical direction, drive engineering execution, make timely decisions, conduct rigorous technical reviews, and communicate effectively with engineering teams, executive leadership, customers, and suppliers.
The Chief Engineer is accountable for the overall technical success of the mission. You are responsible for maintaining technical integrity, driving engineering progress, ensuring design maturity, balancing performance, reliability, cost, schedule, manufacturability, and mission risk, and delivering flight-ready spacecraft that enable successful mission execution.
Key Responsibilities:
- Please note: Though this role provides a Hybrid flexibility, it will require an on-site work presence at Kepler's Toronto HQ
- Provide technical leadership across Systems, Software, Electrical, Mechanical, RF, GNC, Payload, AIT, Manufacturing, Operations, and Product Assurance
- Drive engineering convergence toward a technically coherent spacecraft
- Ensure engineering activities remain aligned with mission objectives
- Drive engineering progress and maintain technical momentum
- Identify and remove technical roadblocks
- Ensure timely technical decision-making and accountability across engineering disciplines
- Lead rigorous technical reviews across all spacecraft subsystems
- Challenge assumptions, analyses, margins, interfaces, and verification evidence
- Lead design reviews, anomaly reviews, and readiness reviews
- Make timely, evidence-based technical decisions
- Balance performance, cost, schedule, manufacturability, reliability, and mission risk
- Remove technical barriers or blockers to maintain engineering momentum
- Communicate technical direction clearly and consistently across the engineering organization
- Translate complex technical issues into concise recommendations for executive leadership
- Represent Engineering during customer reviews, supplier meetings, executive briefings, and governance boards
- Ensure decisions, assumptions, risks, and actions are clearly documented and communicated
- Build alignment across Engineering, Program Management, Product Assurance, Manufacturing, Operations, and executive leadership
- Mentor senior engineers and future technical leaders
- Continuously raise the standard of technical rigor, engineering reviews, and engineering excellence
- Drive continuous improvement, platform standardization, and lessons learned
Technical Leadership:
Engineering Execution:
Design Reviews & Technical Oversight:
Decision Making:
Communication & Alignment:
Engineering Excellence:
Required Skills & Qualifications:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant engineering discipline
- 15+ years of experience developing complex spacecraft or aerospace systems
- Experience serving as the technical authority or senior technical leader for at least one spacecraft development program
- Extensive knowledge of spacecraft architecture, integration, verification, manufacturing, qualification, launch, and mission operations
- Exceptional technical judgment, communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills
Bonus Points:
- Chief Engineer, Deputy Chief Engineer, or equivalent technical leadership experience
- Constellation or multi-spacecraft program experience
- Experience across multiple spacecraft disciplines
- Mission assurance, Integration and test campaign, launch campaign, and on-orbit operations experience
- Experience driving engineering standardization and AI-enabled engineering workflows
Employment Equity & Accommodation Statement
Kepler Communications is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals, including women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
If you require accommodation during any stage of the recruitment process, please contact our People & Culture team at [email protected], and we will work with you to meet your needs.
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